Tag Archives: John Key

Under cover, under hand and under the radar – ‘all about sport’ in Christchurch

Posted on 15th May, 2012 by Puddleglum

The Prime Minister, John Key, has come out in favour of a “world-class covered stadium” for Christchurch. At the time of writing, opinion on the accompanying stuff poll is split 52% in favour and 48% opposed (485 votes). It has … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Earthquakes, New Zealand Politics | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

The banality of corruption

Posted on 27th Mar, 2012 by Puddleglum

At the heart of the exotic and exciting spectacle of National Party luminaries engaging in their own version of the shootout at the OK Corral – and, in so doing, managing to take out one of their own – is … Continue reading →

Posted in Freedom, Human Nature, New Zealand Politics, Political Psychology | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

‘Not Electioneering’, Key-style

Posted on 10th Feb, 2012 by Puddleglum

‘Nothing to do with me‘, says Key (and Joyce). After all, John Key explicitly announced in the first minute of the one hour Radio Live ‘PM’s Hour’ that it was an “election free zone”. But that raises the question of … Continue reading →

Posted in New Zealand Politics, Political Psychology | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on ‘Not Electioneering’, Key-style

Out of control

Posted on 2nd Feb, 2012 by Puddleglum

Sometimes, you just can’t keep things under control in politics. You know how it goes –  somehow Treasury documents get accidentally posted on websites; somehow the government’s majority ‘control’ over partially privatised state assets just isn’t what you thought it … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Free Market, New Zealand Politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Boil; Pour; Stew – Drink?

Posted on 30th Jan, 2012 by Puddleglum

The way to get tea so strong you could stand the teaspoon up in it and produce that almost unbearably metallic, bitter tannin taste in your mouth is to follow the age old recipe: Boil; Pour; Stew. Well, they call … Continue reading →

Posted in New Zealand Politics, Political Polls, Political Psychology | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Election Prediction No. 1 – Fewer than 30,000 people will vote for John Key

Posted on 12th Nov, 2011 by Puddleglum

It’s clear that fewer than 30,000 New Zealanders will end up voting for Prime Minister John Key in the upcoming elections. It’s also clear that somewhere north of 1,000,000 New Zealanders will, after voting day, think that they have voted … Continue reading →

Posted in New Zealand Politics, Political Polls, Political Psychology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Cut throat politics

Posted on 11th Oct, 2011 by Puddleglum

It doesn’t take long to collect examples of throat-slashing gestures on the internet: Here, here, here and here – and that’s just for starters on the first google page. Interestingly, they are all incidents in highly charged, competitive, high stakes … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour, New Zealand Politics | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Cut throat politics

Green with envy

Posted on 11th Sep, 2011 by Puddleglum

As many know, Christchurch has been divided into four zones: Red; orange, white and green. Less well known – but increasingly apparent -there are interesting emotional and social psychological divisions emerging in a way that neatly maps onto that zoning. … Continue reading →

Posted in Earthquakes, New Zealand Politics, politics of envy | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

On choices – good and bad

Posted on 5th Sep, 2011 by Puddleglum

As the election draws near, it’s clear that ‘welfare reform’ will be one of the main areas of discussion and debate. It’s also, historically, an area littered with sloganesque arguments that fly around like empty cartridge shells at the OK … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Wellbeing, New Zealand Politics, Welfare | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The science and politics of the ‘politics of envy’

Posted on 21st Jul, 2011 by Puddleglum

The release of Labour’s tax policies – which include a new top tax rate (39cents for income over $150,000), a Capital Gains Tax (at 15%), no GST on fresh fruit and vegetables and a tax free $5,000 threshold – have … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Human Nature, Human Wellbeing, Labour, New Zealand Politics, Philosophy, politics of envy | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments